Exports of textile, rice and sports products to Germany registered a growth of over 20 per cent during the fiscal 2002-03 as compared to the same period of the previous year.

Official sources told Dawn that growth in the exports of these and other products was due to the incentives announced for the exporters in the trade policy 2002-03. The trend, they said, had persisted during the first three months of the current financial year.

Exports of carpets and rugs, chemical elements and compounds and leather products, however, registered a negative growth during the period under review in the previous year.

Official statistics available with Dawn showed that exports of cotton fabrics stood at $33.974m in the year 2002-03 against $24.478m in the previous year, registering a growth of 38 per cent; synthetic fabrics, including silk and woollen, at $10.343m against $6.098m in the previous year, an increase of 69 per cent; made-up articles of textile materials at $137.614m against $87.122m, an increase of 57.9 per cent; and clothing of textile fabrics at $182.029m against $131.708m, an increase of 38 per cent.

However, exports of leather declined by 55 per cent to $8.997m in the year 2002-03 against $20.043m in the previous year; and raw cotton by 13 per cent to $0.668m against $0.770m in the previous year.